


One That Got Away

by Metal_Chocobo



Series: Need a Hook [4]
Category: Women's Hockey RPF
Genre: F/F, University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs, University of Wisconsin Badgers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-13
Updated: 2015-10-13
Packaged: 2018-04-26 04:57:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4991092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Metal_Chocobo/pseuds/Metal_Chocobo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Duluth Bulldogs play in the Women's Frozen Four. Caro wants them to win for Julie, since she never managed to win the national championship while playing for Harvard. Caro would do anything for Julie's happiness.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One That Got Away

**Author's Note:**

> I freely admit Shannon Miller’s coaching style is extrapolated from filthy Gopher gossip and lies.

It was harder coaching hockey than playing it. When she was on the ice Caro could make a difference. Her actions directly affected the game’s outcome in a way that was impossible on the bench. Stuck on this side of the boards she couldn’t block shots or score. Instead she was relegated to the task of keeping her former teammates’ heads in the game; maybe dole out a high five if someone scored. Caro had an active, hands-on approach to coaching and the forced passiveness inflicted by the very nature of hockey during a game always hurt. However, she couldn’t remember the last time coaching the Bulldogs felt as chaffing as it did during this year’s Frozen Four finals against Wisconsin, especially after the Badgers beat them last year.

Caro glanced at Julie. From the way the American was fidgeting she imagined Julie felt the same. They were meant to be on the ice competing, not watching from the sidelines. She didn’t know who their current situation bothered more. Caro had played some damn good hockey with every upperclassman skating today and she knew the Bulldogs more intimately than Julie ever could. On the other hand, this wasn’t Caro’s first year coaching. This was the first time Julie had experienced the Frozen Four from this position and it had to sting worse for her than for Caro last year. Julie led Harvard to the Frozen Four every year she played for them, thrice to the finals, but never had the honor of hefting Natty after winning the championship. Caro took that from her Julie’s freshman year when Duluth wrested the trophy out of Harvard’s hands. Like in the Olympics, Caro had experience being a national champion, but for Julie the NCAA championship had slipped forever from her grasp. Unlike the Olympics—which Julie totally had two or three more attempts in her, Caro’d seen her body and the American was a top contender—the Frozen Four would always represent the one that got away for Julie.

Caro wanted them to win for a number of reasons. Winning would be a tangible reward for a hard fought season and the girls would be forever remembered by Duluth with their banner hanging from the DECC’s rafters. Especially if they won the Frozen Four on home ice like they could manage today. The championship would also be a real feather in Caro’s coaching cap. Winning trophies was the best marketable skill she could have. However, Caro wanted them to win the most for Julie. It wouldn’t be the same as if she won it in Harvard Crimson, but maroon and gold with a whistle clenched between her teeth would be a good substitute.

As the ref dropped the puck Caro squeezed Julie’s hand. They had just enough time to exchange a glance before play began. Win or lose, today or any game in the future, Caro would be there for Julie. Even if they were opponents she would be there for her in any way she could. She hoped that got across to Julie, but Caro didn’t know if it did. She used actions to make up for her deficiencies at verbalization, but sometimes Julie needed to hear the words instead of intuiting them.

After that there wasn’t any time for each other. As assistant coaches they had to a million little things to keep the players on track and their bench running smoothly. That included adjusting or fixing gear, fetching water bottles or towels, taping sticks, and retying skates. Anything to keep the skaters on track so that when Shannon ordered line changes they could seamlessly step on or off the ice. Caro also had to keep track of minutes, penalties, and how the other team was playing so that she could assist Shannon during strategy sessions with more than just handing her the clipboard.

Julie’s job was listening, note-taking, and basic first aid. Literally, listening was the most important assignment she had because Shannon didn’t want her speaking on the bench. Julie was still learning the system and therefore wasn’t allowed to talk. Last year Caro had been the silent assistant coach and she probably wouldn’t be allowed to speak this year, except Shannon needed to allow one of her assistants to speak. Now that Caro was the senior assistant coach that was her privilege, though no one was ever allowed to argue with the head coach.

The normally offensive Wisconsin kicked their game into overdrive and rained down shots. Their large freshman forward, Knight, was especially annoying and seemed intent on badgering Kim Martin in goal. She had been a problem in the last four games the Bulldogs had played against them. Julie seemed excited about Knight too, but Caro didn’t know a lot about her. The French-Canadian was a little too old to worry about the US’s U18 team unless she was scouting for Duluth. Luckily, the Bulldogs had equally impressive freshmen on their team, though Haley Irwin was physically tiny in comparison. Despite poor puck possession on their team’s part Haley stole the puck late first period on a delayed penalty and sniped it in past Vetter’s pads.

Haley lighting the lamp put the team in a good mood going into the locker room. Wisconsin may have been last year’s national champs, but this year’s title was up for grabs. They had beaten them in three of the four games this season, which meant they were the better team. Caro was pleased to see the girls in high spirits, but she cautioned them to temper their exuberance until after the game ended. It wouldn’t do to become overconfident and blow their lead.

“Good job Haley and Kim, but everyone else was terrible,” Shannon said, addressing the team. “Where was my defense? More importantly, where was my offense? You left Martin out to dry and it’s a damn near miracle we’re in the lead. If she weren’t a two-time Olympic medalist this game would be a lost cause the way you’re playing. Step it up, ladies, I expect the upperclassmen to pull their weight.”

The team took Shannon’s words to heart. Not only did the Bulldogs bite back when the Badgers shot at Kim, but Emanuelle Blais and Sara O’Toole both scored. Vetter did not look good after she let the third goal in. Despite being a seasoned player, record-breaking goaltender, and Olympian, Caro would go as far as to suggest she looked rattled. This had not been Vetter’s finest year and Kim was on a hot streak. Despite Wisconsin’s continued assault on her defenses the Swede repelled all pucks that came her way.

Shannon was far more pleased by the team’s performance during the second intermission. She just told them to keep the momentum going and hold their lead. Caro nodded to show her support. If she were in charge she would have given the same advice. Perhaps that was because Shannon had trained her. Glancing at Julie she saw that the other woman also agreed. Good.

Third period saw a flag in energy for both teams. Wisconsin seemed to understand that even if they managed to score, which was looking less and less likely as the seconds ticked by, there was no way for them to come back from a three goal deficit. Not with the way Duluth was playing. All the Bulldogs had to do was waste time and they’d win. Halfway through the period most of the expected tension during the Frozen Four finals had dissipated. The fact no one in the stands seemed energized when the home team was in the lead during the national championship title match was disconcerting enough to Caro that she spaced out long enough to miss Karine Demeule’s goal, which widened their lead to four.

With five minutes left on the clock things felt more right again. A nervous tension had entered the DECC. It wasn’t connected to winning—they were an absolute shoo-in at this point—but to the shutout. No one on the bench dared utter the word, but Caro could hear the word softly murmured in hushed tones by the crowd. It didn’t matter, not really, since winning the championship against Wisconsin would be bragging rights enough, but now that it was a possibility Caro wanted it for Kim. After she made forty-two saves in the win against New Hampshire Friday night and her performance today Kim deserved all the accolades imaginable. A shutout would be the icing on the ice to an award winning performance after she stood on her head for the Bulldogs.

With thirty seconds left on the clock Shannon sent their top line, the senior line, back onto the ice. It was a surprisingly sensitive move on her part and the one Caro knew Julie would have made without a second’s thought. Every senior on the team wanted those last few extra seconds on the ice when their skating still mattered. They would remember this moment for the rest of their lives and be grateful for the time. Caro knew this was the truth because this was how it was for her. She treasured every second she ever spent on the ice. Julie felt the same way.

As the last seconds dwindled away before their eyes Caro stopped acting like an assistant coach and became a hockey fan again. There was nothing she could do at this point to affect the game. It was all on Kim now. As she stood at the boards, eyes glued to the puck as the crowd counted down—the entire arena was up on their feet in anticipation for the final horn—she felt something touch her hand. She turned her hand over and squeezed Julie’s hand in response. Caro didn’t need to look to see it was Julie. She knew her well enough to know she’d act the same way under these circumstances.

The final buzzer sounded just as the puck left the end of Knight’s stick. It was a mighty slap shot aimed right on goal. The crowd erupted into cheers as the announcer declared Duluth the victors. However, neither team reacted. They, and the referees, watched as the puck hurtled on goal. It nicked the crossbar and deflected down toward the net straight into Kim’s raised glove. She had preserved her shutout.

“We won!” Amie Meyer whooped. The backup goaltender hopped the boards and dashed toward Kim, the rest of the bench following behind her.

The Bulldogs dog piled onto their goalie half sliding into the net. Everyone was laughing and crying at the victory. Caro and Julie hugged, and then followed the players at a slower pace. They were skateless today and didn’t need to fall in front of the cameras. Besides, the team deserved a moment to celebrate on their own. They were the ones who did all the heavy lifting. When Shannon reached the celebration she wrapped her arms around the necks of two players and inserted herself in the pile. That was typical Shannon behavior and Caro didn’t let it bother her as she stood by Julie.

When Caro felt a pull on her pants leg she looked down. Sara was grinning up at her. She tugged Caro’s pants again and motioned for her to join the pile. Caro shook her head. This was their moment and she didn’t want to leave Julie on her own. Their interaction caught the attention of some of the other skaters and soon there were multiple hands pulling at Caro. She couldn’t fight against that many of them and fell on top of the girls. They laughed as she squished them.

“Can’t believe you wanted me crushing you guys,” Caro said.

“Wouldn’t be the same without you, Caro,” Sara said into her ear. Due to their positioning this was the only way for Sara to talk to her, but it also made it easier for Caro to hear.

Haley must have been close enough to overhear because she piped up, “You’re a Bulldog, of course we want you in here.”

“Once a captain, always a captain,” Karine added, tapping the C on her own chest as if that settled everything. That wasn’t a team motto, but it had been bandied about the locker room enough since Caro joined the coaching staff it felt like a legitimate team belief.

Caro rolled her eyes, but was touched by their sentiment. She left three years of blood, sweat and tears on the ice as a Bulldog and it was nice to hear it was still recognized. A couple of girls punched her as she rolled over. Julie was grinning at her, but Caro thought she detected a hint of sadness. She held out a hand to her girlfriend, which clearly surprised the American.

Julie hesitated only a moment before taking Caro’s hand. With practiced ease Caro pulled the smaller woman on top of her. When they collided Julie took her breath away—she did this almost daily to Caro, but this was a little more physically literal than it usually was—and when she recovered it they both started laughing. She felt some of the girls pat her and Julie. Somehow the touching and physical contact made the win more real for all of them.

They spent another hour on the ice before retreating to the locker room. First there was the official ceremony, where everyone got a trophy. That included all of Duluth’s coaching staff. Caro wasn’t real impressed by hers—it was a nice gesture, though she felt the focus should solely be on the girls—but seeing the look on Julie’s face as she carried her trophy off the ice was something special. Her look was almost reverent. When it was their turn to pose with Natty, the National Championship trophy, Julie started crying. As Caro wiped her tears away with her knuckles Julie smiled and tried to laugh it off, insisting she was being over emotional. She wasn’t. Julie was just trying to deflect attention away from herself, like she always did. She preferred to focus on the team over the individual. Normally Caro agreed with that mentality, but this was a moment where Julie needed to shine too. They hadn’t originally planned on a photo of just the assistant coaches with Natty, but when Caro asked the photographer agreed. As they posed with Caro’s arms around Julie she promised herself she would get framed copies of this picture for the both of them.

When the photos were finished and the other team had left all their friends and family flooded the ice. Caro had asked her parents and sister not to come. They were present for last year’s disappointing results and she hadn’t wanted a repeat. These days the Frozen Four was just a work obligation since she no longer played NCAA hockey. To her surprise an older Asian couple swarmed Julie. Those were her parents Caro belatedly realized after it was too late to easily introduce herself. So she held back and let Julie celebrate with her parents. Instead Caro made the rounds, talking with team members and their parents until Shannon decided it was time to get off the ice.

In the locker room Caro had Julie back in her arms. Sort of. Shannon demanded everyone’s attention for another speech, as she always had to be the center of attention. None of the girls were focused on her, the most mindful of them giving her half their attention at best, but she ignored it in favor of talking about her victory. Their victory. Shannon had a habit of co-opting her girls’ work as her own on the grounds that she taught them what to do. It was her system that won. Julie leaned against Caro throughout all of Shannon’s justifications for why Natty was going home with her and let Caro rest her hands on her hips. No one cared who took home Natty tonight. The girls all had their hats, personal trophies, and freshly grasped victory. When Shannon finally dismissed them and the locker room dissolved in chaos as twenty-three girls changed out of hockey gear Caro pulled Julie into a corner for a quiet celebratory kiss. No one noticed, which was nice because Caro couldn’t wait another second. From the way Julie kissed her back it was clear she felt the same.

The after party was mostly a blur for Caro. She’d been getting minimal sleep all week prepping for the Frozen Four and now that it was over all she wanted to do was go to bed. She wasn’t the young hotshot she used to be and the lack of sleep had caught up. Caro would’ve skipped celebrating entirely, except Amie and the other girls specifically asked her to come. Julie was too busy with her folks to be with her. So she sat in a corner and nursed her drink watching the girls celebrate. Caro left as soon as she politely could.

“Caro, wait,” Julie called, following the French-Canadian out of the bar. Caro stopped, allowing Julie to catch up. “Where are you going?”

“Home,” Caro replied. “I’m done for the day.”

“Can you wait a bit longer? My folks are about to head back to their hotel and I’d like to wish them good night before we go home.”

“We?”

“Course. Unless you’re planning on stranding me here,” Julie grinned, gently elbowing Caro in the ribs. Her smiled faded a fraction. “I can come home with you, right?”

“Always,” Caro assured, wrapping her arms around the other woman. The prospect of bringing Julie home pumped a shot of adrenaline into her system, burning away her tiredness. If it involved Julie she could last a while longer.

“Good.”

Julie trailed her fingers along the length of Caro’s jaw before pulling away. She went back into the bar, but emerged minutes later with her parents in tow. Julie saw the pair into a car then leaned on the side talking to them. It was cold enough out Caro got into her vehicle and started the engine. Julie would appreciate her warming it up for her. She talked with them for a while longer. Julie pointed a few times at Caro’s car as the conversation continued. Caro tapped the steering wheel impatiently. She wanted to get going. The Chus didn’t pull out of their spot until Julie slid into Caro’s passenger seat. They wanted to ensure Julie had a safe way home.

“Sorry about the delay,” Julie said, buckling her seatbelt. “They’re leaving before dawn tomorrow, so I wanted to give them a proper goodbye.”

“Why are they leaving so soon?” Caro asked, putting the car in reverse.

“They’ve got an early flight in Minneapolis and a long drive down to the Cities. I wish they could stay longer, but with my brother’s wedding this summer their vacation time is already booked.“

“Ah.”

Caro wanted to hold Julie’s hands as she navigated the roads home, but she didn’t. She needed to keep both hands on the wheel. Julie got cranky when she only used one hand. She nearly had a heart attack the time Caro took both hands off the wheel to tie her shoe at a red light. After the amount of shrieking that generated Caro never tried that stunt again. As if sensing her need Julie turned away from her window to watch Caro’s profile dimly illuminated by the streetlights outside. She reached out and placed a hand on Caro’s thigh, sliding it forward a little to gently squeeze Caro’s knee through her suit pants. Caro couldn’t help smiling at that.

Julie leaned against Caro as they rode the elevator up to the second floor. Normally they’d use the stairs, but tonight they were splurging and taking it easy. As soon as they were inside Caro’s apartment Julie kicked off her shoes and headed into the bedroom. Caro loved how Julie sauntered about the place like she owned it. It wasn’t until she started treating Caro’s home wholly as her own that Caro realized how much she needed Julie comfortable in her space.

Julie had collapsed on top of the bed. Caro leaned over her and gently brushed her hair out of her eyes. She thought about sitting down by Julie’s head, but her bed was already dipping enough without additional weight. She also didn’t want to sit on Julie’s hair, which had mostly escaped its bun. Julie smiled up at her as she entwined their fingers.

“I am dead tired,” Julie said. She chuckled and looked to the side. “I thought we’d celebrate our victory when we got home, but I don’t think I’m up for it tonight.”

“Me neither,” Caro admitted. She lowered her hand to Julie’s neck then rested it on her shoulder. Julie’s eyes automatically fluttered shut when the French-Canadian leaned down and kissed her forehead. “Luckily we have tomorrow. Think you can crawl to the bathroom or do I have to bring you your toothbrush?”

Julie groaned. She slipped an arm around Caro’s neck and leveraged herself into an upright position. With obvious effort she rose, then stumbled into the bathroom. Caro heard the faucet squeak and water run. Smiling she took off her blazer and unbuttoned her shirt. Her suit was too wrinkled to be worn again without a trip to the drycleaners, but Caro hung it up on its hanger like she always did.

“You know, I’m happy we won today—Kim really outdid herself in goal today—but it didn’t feel quite how I expected it to,” Julie said, voice slightly garbled from the toothpaste.

She often started conversations like this, as if they had already been discussing the topic extensively and usually with her mouth otherwise occupied. It made things difficult for Caro to follow, especially when Julie filled her speech with American idioms. She didn’t understand why her girlfriend did this. Especially when Julie’s responses usually felt like she had anticipated Caro’s words in a dozen different variants. If she had already imagined everything Caro could have said, what was the point of the conversation?

“How did you expect to feel?” Caro asked.

“Happier? Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy, thrilled even, but I thought I’d be ecstatic even now.” Julie spat. “I felt like there’s this hole in my chest from the three years we lost in the finals and then last year when we didn’t even get that far my whole body just went coldly numb. I thought… I dunno, I thought I’d feel better than slightly worse than normal if we won. I guess coaching hockey doesn’t leave the same high playing it does.”

“No,” Caro agreed, coming into the bathroom. “The losses hurt just as much as if we were on the ice ourselves, but the wins are dulled, blunted. You feel it more during a championship than a regular game.”

“Nice undies.”

“Thanks.” Caro glanced down to see which pair Julie was eyeing. “I think you bought these for me.”

“That’d explain it. Usually you just wear your Team Canada panties.”

“Is there something wrong with Canadian underwear?”

“Well, not _Canadian_ underwear specifically. Most people don’t bother with the team issued undergarments when they’ve got better quality stuff at home.”

“You’ve seen my drawer; Team Canada underwear is all I have.” Caro walked back into the bedroom and pulled open the drawer to stress her point.

“I know,” Julie said. She didn’t see it, but she could tell the American was rolling her eyes from the tone of her voice. “That’s why I bought you nicer ones. Don’t want you chafing.”

Caro snorted, but she was too amused to really be annoyed. Julie was her first girlfriend to be concerned enough about her well being to worry about this sort of thing and practical enough to do something about it. Caro had never been one to talk about her own dating life, but she picked up enough over the years from her friends and sister to realize that if someone went out of their way to buy their partner underwear specifically to make them more comfortable—comfortable, not sexy—they were a keeper. Caro wanted to keep her for the rest of her life and she didn’t have the faintest idea how to let Julie know.

As she shut her dresser drawer light reflected off her two Olympic gold medals, which were nestled among her socks. Caro paused, licking her lips. Maybe there was a way to get her feelings across.

“Caro, can you grab my blazer?” Julie called. “I just got toothpaste on my jacket and I don’t want it smearing onto this too.”

“Coming,” Caro said. She grabbed her medals before shutting the drawer the rest of the way.

Julie’s nice black jacket was in the sink as she gently scrubbed at a green splotch on its front with toilet paper. There was still a ring of toothpaste around her lips. Caro reached up and gently pulled on the back of her collar. The other woman stopped what she was doing, wiped her hands off on a towel, and slipped out of her blazer. Caro hung it on the back of the bathroom door. When she turned back to Julie the other woman had already returned to cleaning her jacket. She stepped right behind Julie, held up her medals, pulled the ribbon open as widely as it would go, and then gently slipped them around Julie’s neck without brushing her head.

Julie froze. She slowly looked up from her jacket to stare at her reflection in the mirror. Caro beamed at her, dipping down to kiss her cheek as she set her hands on Julie’s hips. This felt right. Julie looked much better in gold than in gold and maroon.

“Caro?”

“They’re yours. Just as I’m yours.”

“Caro,” Julie whispered. She stroked the top medal then carefully lifted them both up off her neck. Turning around she pressed the awards into Caro’s chest. “I don’t want your medals.”

“Julie,” Caro said, trying to keep the hurt out of her voice and failing. She didn’t understand.

“I didn’t earn them. They’re not mine. I don’t want them,” Julie said firmly.

She pushed them against Caro again as if that would make her take them back. Instead Caro kept her hands on Julie. She didn’t want them back. She wanted them to go to Julie. She wanted Julie. When Julie let go both medals fell. One caught in Caro’s bra between her breasts, but the other slid past and hit the tile floor with a clank. Glancing down Caro realized that was her Turin gold.

“This… thing between us isn’t about medals or awards. We wouldn’t still be dating if it was. My pride wouldn’t allow it,” Julie frowned up at her, tightly gripping Caro’s open shirt. “I don’t want your medals. You should know that.”

“I just want you happy,” Caro floundered. She didn’t know what she could give or do to make her happy. Not if giving Julie her gold didn’t work. “You seem disappointed only winning as a coach. If I had my National Championship trophy here I would have offered you that instead.”

“They don’t mean anything if you just give them to me,” Julie said. “I only want it if I’ve earned it.”

“The medals don’t matter, you do!” Caro snapped. “You are the only thing that matters to me and I want you happy. I need you happy, Julie, because I need you.”

“You’ve got me and that’s not changing any time soon. So, take your own advice and chill, Caro,” Julie said. Her hands slid up Caro’s shirt to lace around the back of her neck. It was a comfortably familiar move. “It was a nice gesture and I appreciate what you’re trying to say, but I don’t want your medals. I want my own gold. And, I need to earn it.”

“But I cannot give you Olympic gold,” Caro retorted, still feeling frustrated.

“I know, which is why I’m going to pry it out of your hands in Vancouver,” Julie grinned. “What could be sweeter than the US finally beating Canada again at the Olympics in their country? Vancouver’s gold is not getting away from me the way Natty did and I’m gonna be pissed if you aren’t playing your best when I beat you. So, how do you feel knowing I’m going to mop the floor with you in two years on your home ice?”

“Vancouver is not home ice. That would have to be Montreal, Québec.”

“It’s Canada, same difference.”

“I’ll show you the difference between Vancouver and Montreal.”

“I’d like that.”

Julie tugged hard on Caro’s neck to pull her down, but she wouldn’t budge. A frown flittered across her face, but then Julie smirked. She shifted her hands from Caro’s neck to her shoulder then gripped tightly as she pulled herself up. Caro’s hands automatically grabbed Julie’s thighs as they wrapped around her, but none of that registered with her as Julie was kissing her. It was different than their usual kisses. Usually they were pleasant, comfortable, and while certainly passionate at times, they tended to relax Caro instead of keying her up. This kiss was downright aggressive and Caro didn’t think she had seen this side of Julie off the ice. They hadn’t played against each other since they started dating and Caro had assumed they’d be keeping national rivalries out of the bedroom. It seemed she assumed wrong.

She wasn’t certain how she managed it, but Caro navigated back to her bed while carrying and kissing Julie. She meant to drop her girlfriend on the bed, but somehow ended up underneath Julie instead. To her surprise she really liked her current position. The way Julie shoved her into the mattress was worryingly attractive at the moment. Julie suddenly broke off their kissing to sit upright on top of Caro. She tore at her shirt, eventually wresting it off her head, though the struggle broke the poor scrunchie that had been valiantly holding back her hair. Black tresses puffed out in every direction. Julie reached behind her back. Caro bit her own lip hard when she heard the Velcro ripping apart on the back of Julie’s bra. She was too old and experienced to be getting this excited watching someone take off her bra, even if it was Julie. She’d seen Julie take of her bra in intimate situations dozens of times now, so this should be any different and yet it was.

After it was loose Julie didn’t bother pulling off her bra before seeking out Caro’s lips again. They messily made out while Julie’s hands roved Caro’s torso. Like usual her hands were firmly planted on Julie’s hips. Outside of gripping a hockey stick this was the place her hands felt most at home. Julie’s hands made their way to Caro’s back and scrabbled at the back of her bra. Caro hoisted herself onto her elbows to give her partner the space to manipulate the hooks. One her breasts were free the gold medal slipped down between them and bounced off the bed onto the floor. Caro yelped at the unexpected noise.

For the second time that night Julie froze. She pulled back and brushed the hair out of both of their eyes. Looking her in the eye Caro could see the aggression had faded and Julie was her comfortably familiar girlfriend, though she looked more concerned than usual as her eyes kept darting down to Caro’s body.

“Is this okay?” Julie asked. “I didn’t mean to be so pushy. I can stop if you want. I’d never do anything if I knew you didn’t want it.”

“It’s more than okay,” Caro assured her, licking her lips. “Until you started it I had no idea how much I wanted you like this, mon chéri.”

“Really?”

“But only on occasion,” Caro quickly added. “I like how things are normally between us best.”

“I see,” Julie grinned. She shoved Caro back into the mattress, albeit with less force than before. “You’re going to have to tell me if you want something different, Caro, I’m not a mind reader. Verbalization is key.”

“I promise,” Caro gasped as Julie’s hands unexpectedly slipped much farther south than previously this evening. The look of pleasure on Julie’s face was worth the shock of cold probing fingers. Caro loved everything about this woman.

After the stress and emotional rollercoaster of preparing for the Frozen Four over the past week Caro honestly thought she wouldn’t have the energy to do anything more than preserver through the games, then collapse after the finals. Yet tonight she had not only helped her team to victory, but also partied with them before going home to celebrate in private with Julie. She had never been more pleased to find herself tapping surprise reserves of energy. Likely she would pay for it tomorrow, but from the look on Julie’s face it would be worth it. Caro would do anything to keep Julie from becoming the love of her life she let slip away.


End file.
